Community [1x16] Communication Studies

Tonight’s NBC comedies were so good, I thought I’d write about them. I love all these shows so much, and yet that rarely gets an outlet here. Let’s change that.

Community explored the politics of the drunk dial tonight. Britta’s slick veneer of disinterest in Jeff was shattered by the power of alcohol. As easy as it would be for the show to use a moment like this to ruin Jeff’s existing relationship, with his hot former statistics professor1, while advancing the Will-They-Won’t-They narrative, maybe even getting another kiss out of the potential couple, Community doesn’t hit those sorts of lobs.

Community has shown itself to be a shrewd observer of the classic tropes of television. Even when it follows these tropes, it subverts them as it did expertly in this episode. With some sharp writing, it managed to strengthen Jeff’s current relationship and deepen Jeff and Britta’s friendship while keeping the door open for a genuine romance further down the road. Also, they got Britta into this dress.

Britta, being outrageously hot.

Chevy Chase in a pantsuit was nice too I guess.

So far this year, Community’s been remarkably consistent for a new series. I can’t think of a demonstrably weak episode and none of the characters feel like the unwanted step-children of the writers. Earlier this week Dan Harmon, creator of Community, tweeted:

I’d start phoning it in if it weren’t for the fear that nobody would know the difference.

To which I say, if he were phoning it in we’d know. Oh, how we’d know.

Some nice things in this episode:

  • Annie clapping along with Senor Chang’s Spanish chicken dance.
  • Abed’s inability to recall television minutiae while hungover.
  • Britta in that dress. I mean, wow.
  • ‘Wassup’
  • BCI
  • ‘I’m Abed, I never watch TV.’
  • Cupid Being. Not only blind, but dizzy and belligerent.
  • ‘He’s a young The Asian Guy from Lost’
  • ‘One Papa John’s commercial, and he thinks he’s Christian Bale.’
  • The Breakfast Club montage homage would have gone completely over my head if I hadn’t watch this video earlier this week.
  • Troy’s got mad Booty Quake skills.

Footnotes

  1. It has to be said that the women on this show are, quite possibly, too hot. [↩]